Biography
Rafe Morris is the lead singer from Canberra band Dahahoo. Now flying solo he makes mostly acoustic comedic songs. His debut album self released in 2007, aptly named "Rafe's CD". In the cover of his album it says "My dad paid for the making of this CD". Although his name is Rafe Morris, on the CD he is called "Rafee".
While Rafe Morris can’t be accused of casting broad silhouettes with an early evening sun, the man possesses a commanding stage presence. But rather than tame the floorboards and lasso the audience with gaudy flashes of brute strength, that guy Rafe slyly steals the attention with his warm, winning smile and jaunty folk licks ‘n’ riffs. The licks ‘n’ riffs in question form the backbone of Rafe’s entertaining, comedy-soaked sets, with nary a frown to be seen once the boy is in full flow. What propels his performance above that of your average plucky performer is Rafe’s insatiable thirst to wrench his audience from the doldrums and stick them centre stage (proverbially speaking). With his stark refusal that anyone watching him could have anything less than a fantastic time, he engages the great unwashed in witty banter, including all and sundry into his whimsically woven web, further elevating the enjoyment levels of his performance.
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Rarely relying on a set list, Rafe freewheels through his own creative spectrum to find the perfect performance for the crowd in attendance. This casts a gleeful sense of unpredictability – a strumpet Rafe often straddles – and means no two shows are the same.
This stoic commitment to entertainment on a variety of levels has been ingrained in Rafe’s being even before he was a cheeky glint in his father’s eye. Writing and performing since the last millennium, Rafe’s long and sordid love affair with his guitar has seen the relationship grow all the stronger, with the songs produced all the better. With his passion for rhyme and a natural flair for music, Rafe creates songs of different styles, pace and, above all, subject matter. From terrorist crocodiles to his girlfriend’s menstrual cycle, Rafe strives to push the boundaries of common decency in the most polite and least offensive manner possible.
From being the lead throat of Canberra success story Dahahoo – of which Rafe’s energy was central – to performing at The National Folk Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and National Multicultural Fringe Festival numerous times, his experienced feet have strutted many a varied stage from Darwin to Adelaide with one thing in common; punter satisfaction. Selected as a regular on fringe radio station 2XX for his erudite holding in the music scene, Rafe has built a rapport with the more discerning Canberra listener. A pinnacle in Rafe’s career came recently with the release of Dahahoo’s Tarantism – a merry jaunt through world music, emerging with enough toe-tapping folk riffs to wear a hole in the shoe. The album release crowned an impressive live career for the seven-piece, having played many a festival and, at one time, shared the stage with acts as varied as Koolism, Monsieur Camembert and Lucy Thorne. At all these occasions, Rafe has channelled Dahahoo’s youthful energy, tight musicianship and good humour into his solo sets, polishing his performance to the point of pristine perfection.
With Tarantism’s achievement firmly notched in his hessian belt, Rafe now turns his attention to writing and recording his first solo effort – a project a lifetime in the making. Married with a rigorous performance schedule, 2007 is set to be the best yet for the perennial bearded bop nugget. So when perusing your local entertainment tome for a way to pass a few hours in an establishment of ill repute and come across the name Rafe Morris on the bill, be sure to don your dancing shoes, and a sense of fun, and head forthwith to catch liquid enjoyment in a spry, smiling form.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.